


Old Habits

by Bad_Panda_Kitty



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Anal, Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Rimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 00:33:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19262344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bad_Panda_Kitty/pseuds/Bad_Panda_Kitty
Summary: “Don’t touch that.”Mink’s deep voice seemed to reverberate in Aoba’s bones pleasantly, and, feeling a bit giddy from the sun, Aoba spun around and grinned at Mink cockily.“Oh really? Why shouldn’t I touch it? Is it sharp?” he teased, “Something like this, which can cut down a whole tree so easily, surely it’s not dangerous?”Aoba had only intended to get a closer look at the “chain saw” Mink had brought out of his tool shed. But they end up fighting, and Aoba is left wondering if he's ruined everything._______________________________________________________________Now with art by Juliewithaxe!





	Old Habits

 

 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Don’t touch that.”

Mink’s deep voice seemed to reverberate in Aoba’s bones pleasantly, and, feeling a bit giddy from the sun, Aoba spun around and grinned at Mink cockily.

“Oh really? Why shouldn’t I touch it? Is it sharp?” he teased, “Something like this, which can cut down a whole tree so easily, surely it’s not dangerous?”

Aoba had only intended to get a closer look at the “chain saw” Mink had brought out of his tool shed. Mink used it to cut up the tree that had fallen down near their home during the summer thunderstorm that had blown through last night. Aoba had taken full advantage of the situation, pretending to be anxious so that Mink would let him sleep in his bed with him. Not that they’d gotten a lot of sleep. Aoba was feeling pretty pleased with himself about that.

Today was a day off for both of them, so they’d been hard at work clearing the large amount of fallen limbs that littered the yard, and stacking them so that Mink could chop them up for firewood. Watching Mink chop firewood was one of Aoba’s secret pleasures. The shirt would come off, and his muscles would get all sweaty and shiny, making Aoba long to run his hands over them to feel their strong curves. He always found some excuse to be outside.

Currently, he was checking on his garden to see how much it had been harmed by the wind, rain, and fallen branches. When Aoba had learned that Mink’s family used to grow a large amount of their own vegetables, Aoba had insisted that he wanted his own garden. He cited their food budget and his own need to have something useful to do outside as reasons, but he was also hoping to learn more about Mink’s childhood by sparking nostalgia.

It also gave him a good excuse to be outside while Mink was chopping wood.

The garden didn’t seem to be too damaged, but most of the plants were fairly hardy vegetables like squash, potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, radishes, and beans, to name a few. Aoba had wanted to plant tomatoes as well, but Mink had said they should stick to easy stuff at first. Something about an “Aoba proof garden.” Aoba was determined to show Mink that he could be counted on to take good care of the garden, and had applied himself diligently to learning all he needed to know in order to be the best gardener ever. Ren had been very helpful in finding all sorts of interesting tips and tricks for gardening on the net.

“It is dangerous, Aoba” replied Ren’s deep voice from the ground near Aoba’s feet. “I could show you several videos if you like.”

“Ha ha ha! Ren! I’m just kidding! I wasn’t going to touch it! Of course I know it’s dangerous. I’m not stupid! I just wanted to get a closer look at it, but Mister Worry-pants here apparently doesn’t think I know the sharp end from the handle.”

Aoba gave Mink a sharp look. Did Mink really think that Aoba was dumb enough to hurt himself on the inert chainsaw? It wasn’t even switched on! It was just sitting there quietly on the stump, where Mink had left it for a minute. Mink had stopped working to get a drink from the pitcher of lemonade Aoba had made and set in the shade on the porch.

“How sharp is it, anyway?” Aoba wondered out loud, “It doesn’t look like it would cut me when it’s like this.” Aoba reached out and gently touched one of the “teeth” on the chain. Sure enough, it wasn’t that sharp, but Aoba didn’t get a chance to comment on this, because the next thing he knew a large hand closed around his upper arm, and Mink was hauling him up and away from the machine.

“Hey! Mink! Ow! Put me down!”

Mink did set him down, but didn’t let go of his arm. “I said, don’t touch it!” he snapped at Aoba, his face set in a scowl.

Aoba scowled right back at him. “It wasn’t sharp! Let go of my arm!”

“That doesn’t matter! I said not to touch it, and I meant it! Why can’t you just listen to me for once! You said you wouldn’t touch it, and then you went ahead and did so anyway! Why do you always have to test everything out for yourself?!” growled Mink.

“What are you talking about! I listen to you all the time! Not that you talk that much,” complained Aoba, grabbing Mink’s fingers and trying to pull them off his arm to no avail. “You’re the one not listening to me! I’m not a child, and you can’t treat me like this! Now let go of me already!”

“If you behave like a child, I’ll treat you like a child!” replied Mink gruffly.

“I’m not behaving like a child! You’re the one acting like a jerk!” Aoba replied, struggling harder to release himself, but Mink’s fingers were like a vice, digging into his arm. Aoba tried kicking him, but Mink just grunted and narrowed his eyes.

“I said, LET GO!” Aoba yelled, his eyes flashing and voice deepening.

Mink immediately let him go. Then he turned on his heel, and stomped over to the stump. Picking up the chainsaw, he stalked over to the tool shed, placed it inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it. Grabbing his shirt from the porch railing, he yanked it on and strode quickly to his motorcycle. In a moment, he was gone, with only the fading roar of the motorcycle to mark his progress.

“You forgot your helmet!” Aoba yelled, throwing the simple biking helmet he’d bought for Mink last Christmas. It bounced off the road, and rolled to a stop near his foot. “You promised to wear it!” Aoba screeched through sudden tears, even though he knew Mink was too far away to hear him. Aoba gave the helmet a good kick in lieu of kicking something else. (Mink’s ass, for example.) “Not that you have an ass!” He continued yelling. “Mister flat butt! I should call you Flat-Butt-san! Because you have a flat butt! Like a board! Board-Butt-san! Just you wait!”

“Aoba” came Ren’s voice in the ensuing silence, “You’ll damage your voice, yelling like that, and I believe he is out of earshot anyway.”

Aoba crouched down where he was and buried his face in his arms to hide his tears. Soon, little feet pattered over to where he was and Ren put a comforting paw on Aoba’s leg. Aoba scooped him up and rubbed his face against Ren’s fur. “I know, Ren, I’m just so mad! Can you believe him?! Treating me like that?!”

“Hmm, I’m sure he was just concerned for your safety, Aoba. You should be careful with sharp tools.”

“That’s right,” came yet another deep voice from where Huracan was perched inconspicuously on the porch railing. “Just the other day, Aoba cut himself with a butter knife.”

“Hush! You both promised to keep that secret to your junkyard graves!” spluttered Aoba.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but Mink isn’t currently here,” replied the bird all-mate.

Aoba glared at Huracan. “Of course you would take his side! And Ren! You’re supposed to be on my side!” groused Aoba, holding Ren out so he could see his cute doggy face.

Ren’s ears drooped. “I’m sorry, Aoba, I just worry about your safety. You have a propensity for being absent minded, after all.”

Aoba pouted, and then sighed. He set Ren down, and picking up the helmet, returned it to its peg in the bike shed. He briefly touched his own helmet, hanging on the nearby peg, and sighed again.

Just last weekend, they’d taken the bike on a short road trip to a nearby mountain, where they’d hiked up to a natural hot spring that Mink somehow knew about, even though Aoba couldn’t find any info about it on the net. Aoba had been so pleased that Mink wanted to share the secret with Aoba - that Mink saw Aoba as part of his tribe, and trusted him with their secrets. It had been a very special moment for Aoba. (Not to mention, the sex in the hot spring had been intense.)

Aoba pouted again. Mink had promised they would visit an onsen when they went to visit Granny, so that they could experience a hot spring Japanese style. They wouldn’t be able to afford anything as fancy as a private room at the onsen, but they could go to a love hotel afterwards. Aoba had always wanted to see the inside of one of those, but now the thought of it had soured. Apparently, Mink didn’t see him as an equal, and that really stung.

“Stupid Board-Butt,” he muttered, and stomped his way into the house. He thought about collecting some of the wood shavings surrounding the chopping stump, and putting them in Mink’s bed, but decided that it might be a little too childish. “I’m not a child! And I don’t act like one!” he said, banging a pot down and proceeding to make chili without any salt. (On purpose, this time.)

“I’ll show him! I’ll… I’ll… Ren, help me out here. What’s a good way to show Mink he’s wrong about me?”

“Hmm, perhaps if Aoba were a little more careful…the water is boiling over.”

“Aaah!” yelled Aoba, quickly turning the stove down.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aoba slouched in his chair, absentmindedly stirring his bowl of burned chili. He’d added salt to his own bowl, but it couldn’t unburn the beans, and Mink wasn’t here to suffer through the chili he’d made, so what good was it anyway. Besides, now that he thought about it, burning the soup and “forgetting” to put in salt weren’t really getting him any points on the “reliable adult” scale.

And where was Mink? He should have been home by now. It was getting late. Maybe he wasn’t even coming back. Maybe he’d decided he was fed up with Aoba, and he didn’t want to do the “walking the same path” thing anymore.

A single tear rolled down Aoba’s cheek before he could stop it. He’d ruined everything! Mink didn’t love him anymore. Or maybe he’d never loved him. No. He was pretty sure that wasn’t true, but sometimes he wished Mink would show affection a little more readily. He was very hard to read, and didn’t always say what was on his mind. Aoba could never tell if Mink was in a mood or not. Like today; had Mink already been in a bad mood? Was he tired from the hard work? Why had Aoba chosen that moment to tease him?

“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” Aoba berated himself.

But really, Mink had seriously over-reacted! He’d barely touched it! And since when did Aoba have to obey Mink and do exactly as he was told?! Memories of when they first met, and Mink’s insistence on unquestioning obedience, and what he’d done to ensure that obedience, surfaced in Aoba’s mind. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Mink wasn’t regressing back to his old ways, was he? He shuddered at the thought, and glanced at the door, feeling his heartbeat pick up. Surely not! Mink was different now! He wouldn’t purposely hurt him!

Aoba jumped up before Ren could make some comment about Aoba’s heart health, and, grabbing the pot of burned chili, hauled it outside and dumped it over the railing onto the compost pile.

“The rats will feast well tonight!” remarked Huracan “Though I think your compost may suffer for having meat in it.”

“It’s vegetarian chili! Why don’t you mind your own business?!” snapped Aoba.

“Tsk, tsk. Someone’s in a mood,” sniffed the bird.

“Maybe you can do something useful, for once, and tell Mink he can eat his dinner with the other rodents tonight!” Aoba shot back.

“Oooh! Clever! Somebody has been improving his English skills, I see,” Huracan replied with a snicker.

Aoba clenched his fists and glared at the bird. “You’d better watch it! I’ll blast that techno music you hate so much if you cross me!”

“Who said I hate techno? I don’t hate techno. I’m merely amused you like that Goatbed nonsense so much. None of it makes any sense, even if you think about it for a year.”

Aoba lunged for the bird, but Huracan took off with a throaty laugh, easily evading Aoba’s reach.

Aoba stomped back inside, slamming and locking the door behind him. Then, for good measure, he made sure all the windows were closed and locked as well. That bird could sleep outside for insulting Goatbed, pinnacle of techno music! Aoba knew he was being unreasonable, but at this point he didn’t care.

Leaving the dishes unwashed, he stormed into the bathroom and began yanking his clothes off. He had to slow down a little bit to get the decorations and braids out of his hair. Even if he was super mad at Mink, he didn’t want to damage the decorations he had made. Each one was chosen and made with intricate care and meaning in mind for bringing blessing and protection to Aoba. Falcon feathers for healing and freedom; hawk feathers for protection, strength, and far-sightedness; owl feathers for wisdom and clear-sightedness; wren feathers for protection; and dove feathers for love.

Aoba felt a tear run down his cheek as he held them in his hand, considering them. Mink really did care about him. Another tear followed the first as Aoba remembered how Mink would sometimes call him “Little Bluebird,” which he’d lately learned was a symbol of happiness and fulfillment. Mink was happy Aoba had come to live with him.

Ren trotted in, a pair of clean jammies in his mouth, and dropped them on the floor some distance away from the tub.

“Aoba might need these after his bath,” he stated.

“Thanks Ren, you’re the best all-mate a guy could ever want!” he said, scooping Ren up for a hug.

“If Aoba is happy, then I’m happy,” replied Ren matter of factly.

“Oh Ren! What would I do without you?!” Aoba sobbed into Ren’s fur.

“Aoba.” Ren replied simply, whining softly.

“I’m sorry Ren. I’m just a little stressed out right now.” Aoba said, wiping his snot off of Ren’s fur before the little all-mate could notice it.

“A good soak will do you good,” Ren replied, gently nuzzling Aoba’s face and licking his tears.

Aoba laughed at the tickling sensation. Ren’s tongue wasn’t wet, so it felt a little bit like a butterfly kiss. Ren wagged his tail at hearing Aoba’s laughter.

“You’re right, Ren, I’ll do just that. You’d better go sleep on your cushion. It’s not safe in here for you with all the water.”

“Roger that. Be sure to call me if you need anything. And maybe use some of the lavender salts. It might help you calm down. Stress isn’t good for your heart. Earlier--”

“Ok! Ok, I’ll do that! No need for a lecture!” laughed Aoba

Ren wagged his tail again, and trotted out of the room.

Aoba sighed softly, and started the bath running, making sure to add the lavender salts. Then, taking the soap and a sponge, he scrubbed himself clean and rinsed off, before sinking into the tub with another sigh. That felt really good. Mink was a big man, so his tub was more than big enough for Aoba. If Aoba wanted to, he could submerge himself completely. For now he tried to just relax and empty his mind.

How did one empty their mind anyway? Aoba wasn’t sure; he’d never been able to accomplish it. Apparently, Buddhists monks were good at it. Maybe Aoba should go join a monastery and learn how to empty his mind. Then he wouldn’t have to think about the fight with Mink earlier, or feel the worry over Mink’s absence gnaw at him. They’d fought before, but Mink had always been back for dinner; at least since they’d become a couple. Mink had said to Aoba once that that was part of walking life’s path together.

Aoba began worrying again that maybe Mink didn’t want to be with him anymore. But why? Why had the fight gotten so bad so quickly? It shouldn’t have been such a big deal! It was all Mink’s fault for grabbing him like that! It… It had woken old fears inside Aoba. Things he tried to forget, but that still came back to haunt him from time to time. Sometimes he would stiffen up under Mink’s touch, and then lie about it, saying it was nothing or that he was feeling ticklish, but he could tell Mink knew. Mink was always extra gentle with him when that happened.

Sometimes Aoba became extra clingy. Mink was usually patient with this, like last night, during the thunderstorm. Other times he was not. Then they would fight, but Mink never used physical force or hit Aoba. Though his loud sigh was like a punch to the gut. Sometimes Aoba would become aggressive and push himself into Mink’s space, demanding attention, and then they would either fight or have rough sex - or both. But it was only as rough as Aoba wanted it. Mink somehow always knew where to draw the line. He was always extremely attentive to Aoba’s cues.

Sometimes Aoba would snap at Mink over little things, but this never went well. Mink had a sharp tongue when provoked, and Aoba wasn’t always the strongest at witty comebacks. He usually fell back on name calling pretty quickly, which Mink didn’t appreciate. Mink often left at those times until Aoba had cooled off. Sometimes Aoba would push Mink’s boundaries, testing him to see what he would do. Thinking back, there may have been some of that going on today.

Aoba sighed again, and sunk lower into the water. When he thought about it, it seemed like they fought a lot, but that wasn’t the general feeling he had about their relationship. And a certain amount of bickering felt natural to Aoba after growing up with his granny. Maybe sometimes he pushed Mink’s buttons just to spark some kind of reaction. Mink was used to living quietly, or at least, he had been living quietly here before Aoba showed up. Aoba supposed running a gang hadn’t been a quiet life, but that wasn’t the life Mink had wanted. That had been a means to an end.

Aoba sat up and picked up the bottle of homemade shampoo that Mink had made using a secret family recipe. Mink kept the secret of the recipe even from Aoba, mixing the ingredients together only when Aoba wasn’t around. Aoba had teased Mink, saying that Mink was afraid that Aoba would sell the secret to Koujaku, who was always admiring the healthy luster of Aoba’s hair when Aoba visited Granny. Mink hadn’t refuted the suggestion.

For some reason Aoba couldn’t understand, Mink seemed to be jealous of Koujaku. He always quizzed Aoba about any and every interaction they had. Whereas, if Aoba went into too much detail about a night out with Mizuki, Mink would say he didn’t really need the details about who threw up where. He never seemed bothered by the weird memes Noiz would send, or the random texts about random things from Clear, but if Koujaku sent a picture or something, Mink wanted to see it.

“Stupid Board-Butt,” Aoba muttered, rinsing his hair.

Just then Aoba heard the front door lock being jiggled, and then the door opening. Mink was back? But he hadn’t heard the motorcycle! He could hear Mink’s and Huracan’s voices, but not what they were saying; like distant thunder.

Hearing Mink’s footsteps approaching the bathroom, Aoba realized with a start that the bathroom door was still open. Usually, leaving a door open was one of the ways they communicated that the other person was welcome to enter. Aoba sunk down further into the water, and hoped Mink wouldn’t come in, but no such luck.

Mink stood quietly in the doorway for a few minutes, until Aoba couldn’t stand it anymore.

“What do you want?” he griped.

Mink didn’t answer the question. Instead he came all the way into the room, and sat on the stool by the clawfoot tub. Taking a strand of Aoba’s hair into his hand, he asked, “Have you washed your hair yet?”

Usually, if Aoba had already washed his hair, he would say that he hadn’t, because Mink was surprisingly good at head massages. But, right now, he didn’t really want Mink to touch him.

“Yes,” he replied, pulling his head away irritably.

“You didn’t do a very good job,” replied Mink, reaching for the shampoo. “I can see dandruff.”

“I said I already washed it!” snapped Aoba, turning around to glare at Mink. “Why do you always do whatever you please!?”

Mink silently searched Aoba’s face, a contemplative look on his own. Aoba blushed red and turned away again, not even sure why he was blushing, but uncomfortable with the eye contact.

“I suppose that’s something we have in common,” Mink finally answered, picking up the shampoo and scooping out a generous portion. He lathered it all over Aoba’s head, and then down the length of his hair, before starting a gentle massage with his fingertips.

Aoba scowled and sat stiffly under Mink’s hands, hunching his shoulders slightly. Mink made no comment, but continued the gentle massage, letting his nails scrape the scalp slightly. He was always more thorough than Aoba was at washing hair. Since Aoba’s hair used to hurt when touched, Aoba had a bad habit of only sudsing it a little bit, but not scrubbing.

After awhile, Aoba couldn’t help but relax under the familiar touch, and Mink began working on Aoba’s neck and shoulders as well.

“I’m still mad at you,” Aoba moaned, leaning into Mink’s touch.

“You’re allowed to be mad,” rejoined Mink.

“Of course I am!” Aoba said with a gasp, as Mink worked out a knot. “I’m a free man, after all! I can go anywhere I want! I don’t have to stay here!”

Mink’s hands stopped for a minute, and rested on Aoba’s shoulders.

“Are you unhappy here, Bluebird?”

Aoba jolted in surprise at the question. “That’s not it! Of course I’m happy! You made me the happiest man on earth when you finally accepted me after I came here. And when you gave me your vows, I thought I might ascend from happiness!”

“Then why do you speak of leaving? Didn’t you accept my vows?” queried Mink.

“Of course I did!” Aoba spluttered. “Didn’t I say I was happy?! How can you ask me that?!”

“I’m just trying to understand why you would threaten to leave. Did I frighten you that much today? You’re not the only one who was frightened… I wish you would be more careful, Aoba. Don’t you know how important you are to me? If it wasn’t for you…”

Mink went silent for a long moment before continuing.

“Because of your power, I was able to defeat Toue and gain revenge for my people, but because of your power I was also unable to cross over into death to reunite with them fully. I accepted this as the price I had to pay, and resigned myself to a lonely life of contemplation and spiritual renewal. I thought I was content. But then you showed up… and I… you’ve turned my life upside down, but because of that… I’m truly happy.”

Aoba felt like his heart was going to burst, but he wasn’t sure if what he was feeling was sorrow over Mink’s pain, or joy over Mink’s confession. Maybe it was both. He reached up to clasp one of Mink’s hands in his own.

“I’m happy too!” Aoba sniffled, tears streaming down his face. “I don’t want to leave! I just said that because… because I wanted to remind you that I’m an adult! That I chose to live here with you! That… that I’m not your inferior!”

Mink embraced Aoba from behind, startling a gasp out of him.

“I know that. Do you think that I would have this kind of relationship with you if you were a child? I know you’re a man. I don’t think of you that way. I was just angry when I said that. I’m sorry. You’re not inferior to me. Didn’t I just tell you how you changed my life? You have a power over me that I can’t deny. I wouldn’t want to deny it. You’re my angel.”

And so saying, Mink kissed Aoba’s neck, drawing another gasp out of him. “My lifeline. My happiness. I worship you.” With each declaration, Mink kissed another spot on Aoba’s neck, causing him to shiver and squeak. “Before you came, I was like the living dead. Don’t ever leave me, Aoba!”

“I won’t! I wouldn’t!” said Aoba with a sob, turning around and returning Mink’s embrace.

“You’re important to me too! Didn’t I tell you about how after you left Midorijima I searched high and low for any information about you and your people that I could find? Didn’t I tell you about how I couldn’t find anything, but that I was able to use the memories from Scrap to find your homeland?! Didn’t I tell you about how even then, I searched for ages before I found your hometown? And all that while barely speaking the language of your land! I was cold, and lonely, and often hungry, but I didn’t give up! Would I do all that, just to leave you over something so… so silly?” demanded Aoba.

Mink was silent again, as he embraced Aoba. The only sound a quiet dripping from Aoba’s wet hair. Then he pulled back, and brushing the hair out of Aoba’s eyes, he gave Aoba a searching look. “But why, Aoba? Why am I important to you? After everything I did to you… I would understand if you never wanted to see me again, let alone let me touch you! Why did you go through all that trouble to find me?”

“That’s…” Aoba stuttered, how was he supposed to explain something he didn’t even understand himself?

“Please, Aoba. I need to know.”

“That’s because… I wanted answers from you about your actions…”

“Is that really all it was? Surely it must have been more than that for you to come all this way through so much hardship. Answer truthfully.”

“I...“ Aoba blushed and lowered his eyes. “I needed you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and worrying about you. I had to be sure for myself that you were still alive. I felt strongly that you were out there somewhere, but I didn’t have any basis for feeling that way. I wanted to see you and talk to you and… and you woke something hungry in me, and I wanted you…”

Mink was silent for a moment before speaking.

“I see.”

He sounded resigned.

He began washing Aoba’s hair again, though by now, it was surely clean.

Aoba felt terrible. He had gotten carried away and answered too honestly. He had hurt Mink. He should have thought more about his answer! It felt incomplete, but he wasn’t sure what was missing. What could he say that would convince Mink that he cared about him?

“That’s not all!” he blurted, “I also saw something in you, and I wanted to get to know that side of you better! You tried to hide your true self away, but I saw it! Even then, you showed that you had a caring soul. I saw that you sheltered your people from your departure by not letting them get too close to you. I saw how, despite the fact that they were a tool to you… that I was a tool to you… you cared enough to look out for their welfare… and mine. You cleaned me up and put me to bed, and left Tori to watch over me. You sent Tori to rescue me! If it wasn’t for you… You saved my life!”

Mink humphed dismissively.

“Too little. Too late. You never should have needed cleaning up in the first place! And as for sending Tori… it was only a matter of right and wrong. I put you into danger, so it was my responsibility to get you out of danger.”

“After your other self came out…” Mink continued, “I realized that I had become like that which I hated. I had become Toue! I was seeing people as things to be used! I took care of you the same way I would oil a tool! To preserve it! My quest for vengeance was righteous, but I had allowed hate to twist my heart, and had forgotten the ways of my people and of righteousness! I was no better than Toue. No, I was worse, because I knew better! I shamed my people and myself.”

Aoba felt like his heart was breaking. Mink had been carrying all that in his heart, and Aoba hadn’t even known! Mink’s eyes had that shuttered look like they used to have when Mink had kept everyone at a distance from himself. His face was set like stone as he filled a pitcher with clean water from the faucet in order to rinse Aoba’s hair.

Aoba grabbed Mink’s arm to halt his movement.

“You’re wrong!” he debated, “You’re nothing like Toue! When I scrapped you, I saw how you’d closed yourself off and chained yourself up in the dark like something dangerous, but that isn’t who you are! You’re like the eagle, born to fly free under the sky! Maybe he’s dangerous to lizards and rabbits, but it would be wrong to lock him up in a cage!”

Aoba huffed indignantly at the thought before continuing.

”When you took me to where your village used to be, I got the feeling that it was a gentle place, and when I asked you, you confirmed it. Raised by a gentle people, at your core you’re a gentle caring man! Toue was… Toue was like a lizard. A lizard with ideas about becoming a dragon and ruling the world. He didn’t have a caring bone in his body! He trampled all over you and your people, and you had to become hard in order to survive. I heard from the other inmates what that prison was like… You did what you had to in order to survive and destroy the dragon.”

Mink didn’t even stop to think before resuming rinsing Aoba’s hair.

“And in turn I trampled all over you. Is it right to sacrifice an innocent person’s life, even for a lofty goal? No.”

Aoba had really thought his eagle/lizard comparison was somewhat inspired, so he was a bit disappointed when it didn’t seem to impress Mink that much. But glancing up at Mink’s face, he could see that Mink’s expression had softened somewhat, though he still had a sad look in his eyes.

Aoba reached out and gently touched Mink’s face. Mink paused his ministrations to look at Aoba. Aoba wished he had something to say that would comfort Mink, but unable to think of anything, he raised himself up and kissed him instead.

At first it didn’t seem as if Mink would respond, but then he did, wrapping his arms around Aoba and almost devouring him hungrily.

Pulling Aoba up out of the water, he carried him from the bathroom and into his bedroom. Pushing Aoba down onto his bed, he kissed him all over, while he used his hands to gently scrape Aoba’s sides, all of this pulling gasps and moans from Aoba.

“Mink!”

“What is it?” Mink whispered hoarsely, gently biting Aoba’s ear and then licking it.

“Aaah! Uh, it’s just that I’m all wet, and your bed…”

“You think I care about that right now? Maybe I’m not doing this right if you have room in your head for silly thoughts like that.”

And so saying, Mink reached down, and grasped Aoba’s half-hard dick. Giving Aoba a look, he slid down to kneel by the bed, before giving it a lick.

Aoba bit back a very unmanly sound, but when Mink took the whole thing into his mouth, Aoba wasn’t able to hold back anymore. His hips stuttering helplessly, he felt himself go instantly hard as he squealed uncontrollably.

Mink pulled off and flashed Aoba an evil smile.

“Do I have your attention now?” he quipped.

“Uuh! Mink! If you do that...!”

Mink smiled again, before kissing the tip of Aoba’s dick, and then taking in just the head, he gently suckled.

Aoba groaned, trying hard not to thrust into that warm wetness, but seemingly unable to control his own hips as they jerked spasmodically. Mink held him down easily with one hand, while the other remained wrapped around the base of his dick. Mink slid up and down a few times on Aoba’s dick before swallowing him down.

Aoba practically screamed, and the next thing he knew he was coming. Mink swallowed as he did so, the movement of his throat milking Aoba for all he had.

Breathing hard, Aoba lay on his back and tried to catch his breath, stars clouding his vision. Mink gently released his softened dick and kissed his thigh, his belly, and his nipples. Aoba jerked at that and batted at Mink.

“Mink! I just came! Don’t…”

“Sensitive?” Mink teased, and nuzzled at Aoba’s neck before kissing Aoba on the lips.

Aoba automatically opened for him, and then spluttered and pushed Mink away when he realized he could taste himself on Mink’s tongue.

Mink laughed again, and licked his lips. “Tastes good to me. Like pie dough. My sweet Blueberry Pie.”

Aoba felt himself growing hot in the face. “Did you just… I’m not a pie!”

“A tasty pie.” Mink rejoined playfully, “And I intend to eat you up.”

Before Aoba could respond, Mink began ghosting his lips all over Aoba’s throat. Aoba felt his dick twitch with renewed interest and he groaned. Mink worked his way down to Aoba’s nipples and Aoba arched his back up as Mink softly kissed around them, and then gently laved them with his tongue. Aoba pushed at Mink when it started to hurt and Mink moved up to kiss him on the mouth again.

“Mmm!” Aoba mumbled around Minks tongue, “Min-g!”

“What is it?” Mink asked huskily, his hands roaming down to Aoba’s ass and pinching it.

“Are you going to take your clothes off?” Aoba gasped against Mink’s lips.

“Hmm, maybe. Do you think it might be a good idea?” Mink said with a knowing smile.

Aoba hit Mink on the arm and glared at him. “It’s not fair if you’re the only one who gets to touch! I want to touch you too!”

“I suppose you’re right. It’s only fair,” Mink replied. Standing up, he quickly stripped.

Aoba sat up on his elbows and let his eyes roam greedily over Mink’s curves. Mink smiled and struck a muscular pose for Aoba. “Is this what you wanted?”

Aoba blushed and scowled, before scooting to the edge of the bed and crossing his arms over his chest, pretending to appraise Mink’s muscles critically, while Mink showed off a few more poses. The last with his back to Aoba.

“Hmm, I suppose they’re all right. I’d give you high points, but that board you’ve got for a butt is gonna hurt your overall score, Board-Butt-san,” Aoba snarked.

Mink dropped his arms and looked at Aoba in surprise, before snorting a laugh. “Is that right? Hmm, I suppose the judge is fair. But… if I give you a little something extra, maybe I can get you to raise my score, Blueberry-Pie-san?”

Aoba spluttered. “You’ll not get points out of me without showing a little more respect, Board-Butt-san!”

“Is that so? Pie-chan?” Mink said, leaning over Aoba and reaching down to cup Aoba’s chin in one of his hands and kiss Aoba’s protests away. Pushing Aoba’s knees apart with his own, Mink tipped Aoba backwards onto the bed. Then pushing forward, he spread Aoba’s thighs up and out further with his hands, so that Aoba’s toes were just unable to rest on the bed.

“Mink!” gasped Aoba, feeling anxious. He grabbed at Mink’s hand’s awkwardly.

Mink immediately stopped, not moving, but not letting Aoba go either.

“I said I wanted to touch you! How can I touch you like this?” Aoba complained.

“I’ll make it worth your while.” promised Mink, kissing Aoba’s knee, and then kissing his way down to Aoba’s dick.

“Uhn! Mink! You already...!” Aoba protested incoherently.

“I missed a spot.” Mink replied, before taking Aoba’s dick into his mouth, while pushing Aoba’s thighs further apart so that he was almost doing the splits, knees almost touching the bed. Aoba squirmed and gritted his teeth against the feeling of being pinned down so thoroughly, while his dick was stimulated. He was effectively prevented from thrusting, and the sting of his muscles straining against the stretch made him gasp and moan almost as much as Mink’s tongue wiggling against his dick.

Then Mink pulled off with a slurp, and Aoba pulled his knees back together, glaring at Mink. “If you think that’s gonna get you extra points, I think you need to rethink your strategy.”

“I’m not finished.” Mink replied calmly, as he retrieved one of his pillows and lifting Aoba slightly, placed it under his lower back.

“Uwah!” Aoba yelled, kicking Mink unintentionally in his surprise. “You could warn me before you do weird stuff!”

“Weird stuff? Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Mink teased, kneeling down and pushing Aoba’s thighs apart, but not down, much to Aoba’s relief.

The next moment Aoba nearly shot off the bed when Mink licked him from his asshole to his ballsack.

“Aaaaa! I said to warn me!” Aoba screeched.

“Ah, I’m sorry Pie-chan. I’ll warn you next time. Which is now.” Mink swirled his tongue around Aoba’s balls before licking his perineum down to his hole again.

“Mink!” Aoba gasped, “Not there! It’s dirty!”

“Hmm? Didn’t you just take a bath? You taste pretty clean to me, Pie-chan. If you really want me to stop, I will. Just tell me to stop.”

Aoba flushed even redder than he was already, but declined to answer.

Mink paused for a moment, considering Aoba’s face before gently taking Aoba’s balls into his mouth, one by one, and then licking his way down to Aoba’s hole again. Pressing gently against the pucker with his tongue, he gained entrance.

“Aaaah! That’s! Uhn! Mink! Heeek! Stupid Board-Butt! Stupid-- uwah!”

Aoba continued to yell and squirm while Mink stuck his tongue wherever he pleased and then smacked his lips and raised an eyebrow at Aoba. Who glared back at him, “Don’t you dare kiss me with that mouth! Not unless you want negative points!” he hissed, red faced.

“Hmmm? But you haven’t tried it yet, the flavor is quite good, very musky.”

“Don’t you dare! I mean it! Mink!”

“Alright,” Mink soothed, dropping his teasing face, and standing. “I’ll be right back.”

Mink left the room, and soon the sound of running water came from the bathroom. Aoba rolled off the bed and then rearranged the pillows against the headboard, before sitting against them with his arms clasped around his knees.

It wasn’t like Mink to delay his own gratification for so long. A little foreplay was normal, yes, but usually things moved quickly on to the main event, to the satisfaction of them both. But all of his efforts so far had been solely focused on Aoba, ignoring his own needs. It wasn’t like he wasn’t interested, Aoba had seen for himself that Mink’s dick was upright and bulging. Was he trying to make up for their earlier fight? But they had fought before without this kind of… Aoba wasn’t sure what to call it.

Mink seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time for someone brushing their teeth, but it was soon apparent what had caused the delay when Mink returned with wet hair that he was drying with a towel.

“Now we’re both clean.” he stated and tossed the towel to Aoba who stood up on the other side of the bed before using the towel to pat his already mostly dry hair.

Mink raised an eyebrow at Aoba putting the bed between them. “Did I upset you? You seemed to be enjoying it, despite your protests.”

“I said I wanted to touch you, and I meant it!” pouted Aoba.

“You’re very into touching things today,” Mink remarked wryly. “What do you want me to do?”

“Sit on the bed,” Aoba commanded.

Mink sat against the pillows without comment.

Aoba kneeled onto the bed and then knee-walked his way onto Mink’s lap, who grunted approvingly, grabbing Aoba’s ass appreciatively and pulling him closer.

Mink laughed when Aoba sniffed his breath before kissing him, but Aoba ignored him and kissed his jawline back towards his ear, while his hands roamed the muscles of Mink’s chest. Mink’s dick rested throbbing against his own, and he rubbed himself up and down on it, while nuzzling Mink’s neck.

Mink grunted his approval again before taking both their dicks in his hand and gently squeezing them together. Aoba gasped and bit Mink’s neck, hard. Mink groaned slightly, his dick twitching against Aoba’s. Encouraged, Aoba licked the bite, and then left a trail of more gentle bites across Mink’s shoulders and down Mink’s chest. Pushing away from Mink slightly, he cupped Mink’s pecks in his hands before leaning forward to gently suckle the dark nipples.

The sound Mink made was somewhere between a grunt and a moan, and growing excited, Aoba began gently biting down on Mink’s nipple. Mink grabbed Aoba’s shoulder and forced him away with a grunt.

Aoba smirked at Mink. “Now look who’s protesting!”

Mink responded by smiling and then rubbing the hand that was around their dicks slowly up and down. Aoba gasped and grimaced, before resting his forehead on Mink’s shoulder, shivering.

Mink stopped. “Are you cold?” he asked, lifting Aoba’s face, so he could look at him.

“A little,” Aoba admitted, “but I’m also really hot…” He squirmed against Mink, thrusting into his hand and moaning a little. “More, Mink... Uhn!”

“Just a moment.” murmured Mink huskily, taking his hand away and fumbling with the bedside table drawer. Aoba moaned, and brought his own hand down to work their dicks together, his fingers barely long enough to hold them in place while he thrust desperately. Mink grunted, but continued getting out the ointment and scooping a generous portion onto his hand.

“Hold still, Aoba!” he muttered.

Aoba groaned and gritted his teeth, grabbing on to Mink’s shoulders and trembling at the effort required to not thrust while Mink lubed up both their dicks. Mink had a look of intense concentration on his face, and Aoba remembering that Mink hadn’t come yet that night, tried harder to be patient.

“Do you want it like this?” whispered Mink with his hand still around their dicks, “Or like this?” and he moved his finger to Aoba’s hole, and gently circled it.

Aoba shuddered. “I don’t… I can’t…”

As if deciding on its own, his ass seemed to move of its own accord onto Mink’s finger, but really it was just because it was still relaxed from Mink’s tongue and slippery with lube.

Mink grunted approval and thrust upwards with his finger, hard. Aoba squeaked and then craving more stimulation, pushed back onto Mink’s finger. Mink quickly added another finger, allowing Aoba to set the pace. When Aoba could comfortably accommodate three fingers, Mink pulled them out, causing Aoba to whine in protest.

“Just a minute,” Mink promised, lifting Aoba’s hips and positioning Aoba’s hole over his dick. Mink gently guided Aoba down, slowing when Aoba expressed discomfort, but not stopping till he was fully seated. Mink sighed with satisfaction and closed his eyes for a blissful moment while Aoba continued to adjust. When Aoba started making little movements, Mink kissed his cheek and then began to thrust vigorously and steadily. Aoba, as usual, made the most adorable noises, only encouraging Mink to thrust harder.

Aoba clutched Mink’s shoulders with all his might as Mink pounded into him. Each thrust jolting Aoba upwards with enough force to make his teeth clack together. He gritted his teeth and buried his face in Mink’s neck, but Mink stopped long enough to adjust him to where Mink could see Aoba’s face before continuing again, one hand holding Aoba’s dick.

Aoba’s noises became increasingly desperate, his eyes flashing bright at Mink against his sex reddened face. Mink felt his own ascent, and let it happen with a groan, knowing that it would be enough to push Aoba over the edge. Aoba yelled and threw his head back as his whole body jerked from the intense stimulation running through it. Mink held onto him and then brought him forward to rest against Mink’s chest; both of them breathing heavily.

After they had caught their breath. Mink lifted Aoba to the side, and, retrieving the towel from the floor, wiped both their stomachs and in-between Aoba’s legs. Aoba lay bonelessly against the pillows, feeling his eyes drift closed.

“Sleep now. You’ll need to get up early to walk to work tomorrow.”

“Hmm? Ok.” Aoba replied sleepily. A moment later, Aoba’s eyes flew open. “Did something happen to the motorcycle?”

Mink grunted. “A deer jumped in front of me. The front wheel was damaged when it slid into a tree.”

“What!?! Were you hurt?! Was the deer hurt?! Let me look at you!” cried Aoba, pawing at Mink.

“I’m fine. Just a few scratches. Nothing even requiring a band-aid. And the deer wasn’t harmed. Calm down.” Mink replied, grabbing Aoba’s hands.

“You should have been wearing your helmet! Why weren’t you wearing your helmet, after all that trouble I went through to measure your head while you were sleeping!” Aoba groused.

Mink chuckled. “I’ll be sure to wear it in the future, I wouldn’t want your efforts to go to waste.”

Aoba huffed angrily. “It’s important! What if your head had hit the tree instead! Promise me you’ll wear it!”

“Shh, I promise.” Mink soothed, kissing Aoba’s forehead.

Aoba sighed and snuggled into Mink’s arms, breathing deeply of his scent. “You’d better!” Aoba muttered.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aoba stood next to Mink while he repaired the motorcycle. Mink had bought parts for the motorcycle in town, and hauled them up to the bike. Aoba, who got off work before Mink, had brought down Mink’s toolbox and a bento he had made for dinner from the house.

“Mink?”

Mink grunted acknowledgement, tightening a bolt with his wrench.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

Aoba ignored him. “Last night when we spoke about the past, and I defended you, you disagreed with me vehemently… But when I first came here, didn’t you say basically the same thing? That you did what you had to do?”

Mink was silent for a while, testing the alignment of the wheel and then tightening another bolt. Aoba began to wonder if Mink was going to answer the question at all, but then he spoke.

“That was something that I told myself, so that I could live with what I’d done. I couldn’t escape into death, like I had planned, so I found other ways to ease my mind of guilt.” Mink paused, and sighed. “It’s true that there wasn’t any room in my heart for anything but vengeance at the time. But since then, you’ve broken into my heart and brought healing.”

Mink stood, and gently combed his fingers through Aoba’s hair, tucking it behind his ear on one side before continuing. “Everyday, you’re by my side, bringing happiness into my life. And it hurts me to think that I ever hurt you; that there was a time when I tried to break you. I find that inexcusable, and I’m no longer able to think that way. The past is the past, and there’s no changing what happened, but neither can I turn a blind eye to my responsibility.”

Aoba felt that his heart would burst, and tears blurred his vision. He didn’t know what to say in response to Mink’s words, but reached out his hand to grasp Mink’s sleeve. Mink’s face softened into a smile, and he pulled Aoba into an embrace. They didn’t say anything more, but stood together in the fading light, their shadows lengthening into one.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first ever real fan-fiction! I love Mink and Aoba, so it makes me really happy that I found the inspiration to write for them! 
> 
> I want to thank my rp partner [SeiToue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeiToue) for showing me that writing could be fun, and for praising my writing. Your encouragement means the world to me! *huggles*
> 
> I also want to thank [inkpetal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkpetal) for doing such an excellent job proof-reading this fic! I'm really grateful you agreed to do it, even though you're not a Mink fan! Your grammar suggestions were invaluable, and it makes me really happy that you liked my fic!
> 
> This site was very helpful for the meaning of the feathers: https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-culture/meaning-of-feathers.htm
> 
> And a very special thanks to Juliewithaxe for the beautiful art! I highly recommend her if you're looking to make a commission! This is my third commission with her, and she always does an amazing job! [JulieWithAxe](https://twitter.com/juliewithaxe) on Twitter and [JulieWithAxe](https://juliewithaxe.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr.


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